Surge in eSIM Smartphone Sales: 33% Growth in 2024, Led by Samsung, Xiaomi, and Huawei

The «M.Video-Eldorado» group announced that sales of smartphones featuring eSIM technology in their stores increased by 33% in 2024 compared to 2023. Additionally, analysts from Unisimka discovered that the top three most popular smartphones for users who insert a module to enable eSIM are Xiaomi, Samsung, and Huawei. This information was shared with Habr by the company’s press service.

Samsung emerged as the leader in eSIM smartphone sales, with demand for the brand’s eSIM-enabled phones skyrocketing by 4086% over the year. In second and third place are Xiaomi smartphones, which experienced a growth of 260%, and Google devices, with demand increasing by 237%.

A survey conducted by Unisimka, the manufacturer of upgrade modules for eSIM-compatible phones, revealed that 10% of users are willing to switch to phones supporting this technology if the price is considered «reasonable.» Budget Android smartphones can be upgraded using a special module. Interestingly, over 38% of respondents indicated that the presence or absence of eSIM support in a phone is not a significant factor for them.

Research by Unisimka also found that Xiaomi stands out as the most popular brand for users who have installed a module to enable eSIM technology (30%). The top three most common devices include Samsung (18%) and Huawei (10%). These conclusions are based on anonymized data from subscribers who activated the module on their phones.